I was leaving the drop-in after movie night when a 40-ish black man stopped me on a street corner. “I want that!” he said, pointing to my shirt. “You should give it to me.”

The words on the shirt said simply, “John 3:16 — true story.” I cracked a joke and resumed my walk. “No!” he insisted. “I really do want to talk to you.” He explained that he knew me and what I do, knew that I change lives and wanted that.

He then dropped a familiar name, a former client who had gotten sober, come to Jesus and turned his life around. “I want what he has,” he said. Of course, I told him that it was Jesus who had changed the client’s life and is responsible for anything that I ever accomplish.

He asked me to mentor him. As a first step, I asked him to find a church to worship in regularly and a Bible study to attend regularly. I cautioned him not to fall into the “fixer trap” – to attend not as a homeless man but as just another sinner seeking to find out how better to follow Jesus.

We prayed together on that street corner, asking Jesus to encourage him and to help his wife, who he told me is entangled deeply in denial and addiction.

I’ll be praying for this man and I am keeping in my heart the fact that people are always watching and we may never know who or when the spirit effects people through our actions.

We were gathered for prayer time in what had been a slow day when Will walked in, bypassing the couches and heading straight to the kitchen. He didn’t look up or say hello.

We prayed on, inviting clients to respond to questions like “God is what? I am grateful for what? I feel closer to God when?” It’s part of how we help our spiritual — but not terribly religious — young adults begin to reconnect with God. The answers aren’t always “nice,” but they come from the heart — maybe the gut. We repeat and honor each and every one without judgment.

After the young man filled his plate, he sat a lunch table, still apart from our prayer group, still avoiding eye contact. I was leading the prayer concert, so I invited Will to answer one of our questions. He didn’t respond, but he did look up. I could see something different in his eyes — perhaps he was high, perhaps he was in trouble. Without a response, I couldn’t tell. I continued with those assembled, asking, “What do you want God to do next in your life?” Suddenly, Will blurted: “I want him to leave me alone!” Then he corrected himself: “No, I don’t really want that…”

We’ve known Will for quite a while. He’s one of those “difficult youth.” Honestly, the sight of him coming in the door in early 2016 meant my staff had to re-deploy resources to handle him. We had to ask him to leave many times because he just couldn’t behave safely. Lately, he’s been doing great — reconciled with his father, held a job for a while, begun to realize he can’t keep doing what he’s been doing.

Will began to tell his story: “I was at Church Under the Bridge Sunday. I wanted to eat. They started preaching and singing, and I just started crying. I don’t know why. I couldn’t stop. I tried, but I couldn’t. Some people noticed and they came over. They wanted to pray with me. I told them no. But I wanted it, I just didn’t want to put my stuff out there in front of everyone. So I’m here…”

Having broken the ice, Will began to participate and share answers. He walked over and joined the group. The clients shared what they want God to do in their lives, talked about friends and family, and lifted up our neighborhood and the city of Austin in prayer.

When we finished, I asked Will if this had been good. He said “Yes.” I asked if he understood what happened to him the previous Sunday. He responded without hesitation: “It was the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is moving within me. I don’t know exactly what to do, but I know that’s what it is. Something is changing.”

That’s where we left it. Will has a difficult struggle ahead. But we continue to organize our ministry life so we can be there for him, on his best days or his worst. It’s a pattern we see all the time. It takes years, but these awesome people recover their identities in God, in Christ, and in the world. It’s a privilege to behold.

Thank you for making it possible!

Terry Cole

‘I don’t make the bad choices I used to!’

John John was a very difficult client in 2015 — always getting into fights, frequently high and belligerent. We had to exclude him from service several times. He was banned or excluded from service for longer periods of time at other places.

John John left home right after high school and got involved with organized trouble immediately. Now, however, he’s sober, working and housed. “I have almost a whole paycheck saved,” he said recently. “That’s more than I’ve ever saved in my life. And now when tough things happen, I don’t make the bad choices I used to. I’m growing up and have learned to cope better. Thank you so much for sticking with me!”

We now are talking about John John’s future and what path to learning and growth he wants to take. We are proud of John John!

A bonanza of ‘swag’!

Volunteers from the local sales staff of Salesforce.com donated “swag” left over from trade shows and events. They shipped it from California, assembled it into gift sets and delivered them to three organizations, including hundreds of backpacks and blankets to SYM!

We were gathered for prayer time in what had been a slow day when Will walked in, bypassing the couches and heading straight to the kitchen. He didn’t look up or say hello.

We prayed on, inviting clients to respond to questions like “God is what? I am grateful for what? I feel closer to God when?” It’s part of how we help our spiritual — but not terribly religious — young adults begin to reconnect with God. The answers aren’t always “nice,” but they come from the heart — maybe the gut. We repeat and honor each and every one without judgment.

After the young man filled his plate, he sat a lunch table, still apart from our prayer group, still avoiding eye contact. I was leading the prayer concert, so I invited Will to answer one of our questions. He didn’t respond, but he did look up. I could see something different in his eyes — perhaps he was high, perhaps he was in trouble. Without a response, I couldn’t tell. I continued with those assembled, asking, “What do you want God to do next in your life?” Suddenly, Will blurted: “I want him to leave me alone!” Then he corrected himself: “No, I don’t really want that…”

We’ve known Will for quite a while. He’s one of those “difficult youth.” Honestly, the sight of him coming in the door in early 2016 meant my staff had to re-deploy resources to handle him. We had to ask him to leave many times because he just couldn’t behave safely. Lately, he’s been doing great — reconciled with his father, held a job for a while, begun to realize he can’t keep doing what he’s been doing.

Will began to tell his story: “I was at Church Under the Bridge Sunday. I wanted to eat. They started preaching and singing, and I just started crying. I don’t know why. I couldn’t stop. I tried, but I couldn’t. Some people noticed and they came over. They wanted to pray with me. I told them no. But I wanted it, I just didn’t want to put my stuff out there in front of everyone. So I’m here…”

Having broken the ice, Will began to participate and share answers. He walked over and joined the group. The clients shared what they want God to do in their lives, talked about friends and family, and lifted up our neighborhood and the city of Austin in prayer.

When we finished, I asked Will if this had been good. He said “Yes.” I asked if he understood what happened to him the previous Sunday. He responded without hesitation: “It was the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is moving within me. I don’t know exactly what to do, but I know that’s what it is. Something is changing.”

That’s where we left it. Will has a difficult struggle ahead. But we continue to organize our ministry life so we can be there for him, on his best days or his worst. It’s a pattern we see all the time. It takes years, but these awesome people recover their identities in God, in Christ, and in the world. It’s a privilege to behold.

Thank you for making it possible!

Terry Cole

‘I don’t make the bad choices I used to!’

John John was a very difficult client in 2015 — always getting into fights, frequently high and belligerent. We had to exclude him from service several times. He was banned or excluded from service for longer periods of time at other places.

John John left home right after high school and got involved with organized trouble immediately. Now, however, he’s sober, working and housed. “I have almost a whole paycheck saved,” he said recently. “That’s more than I’ve ever saved in my life. And now when tough things happen, I don’t make the bad choices I used to. I’m growing up and have learned to cope better. Thank you so much for sticking with me!”

We now are talking about John John’s future and what path to learning and growth he wants to take. We are proud of John John!

A bonanza of ‘swag’!

Volunteers from the local sales staff of Salesforce.com donated “swag” left over from trade shows and events. They shipped it from California, assembled it into gift sets and delivered them to three organizations, including hundreds of backpacks and blankets to SYM!

We’re excited to welcome 28 new Salesforce MVPs and welcome back 102 re-awarded MVPs to the MVP Ohana today! We’re also thrilled to announce 10 new inductees into the MVP Hall of Fame.

The Salesforce MVP program honors and awards those making exceptional contributions to the Salesforce Community. Salesforce MVPs are true trailblazers who dedicate their time and energy to forge a path for future learners to succeed. They bring the spirit of Ohana to life by inspiring others to learn Salesforce and connect to our thriving community.

We receive hundreds of community nominations for new MVPs during twice yearly nomination periods, so achieving this award is not an easy feat. It takes true dedication to helping others – through online answers and collaboration, leading Community Groups, blogging, sharing expertise through presentations, and countless other contributions that consistently surprise and delight our Ohana.

We are thrilled to introduce you to the newest class of MVPs and the returning MVPs. Say hello, and congratulations! Follow them online, connect at your local Community Groups, and meet them at countless events around the world!

Returning Salesforce MVPs

MVPs awarded again! You can find all of our current MVPs on Twitter here.

Abhinav Gupta

Jesse Altman

Adam Olshansky

Jitendra Zaa

Adam Kramer

Jodie Miners

Adam Marks

Johan Yu

Aiden Martin

Jonathan Baltz

Alex Sutherland

Joni Martin

Amber Boaz

Justin Edelstein

Andrew Fawcett

Kalman Sweetwine

Andy Ognenoff

Karen Fitton

Angela Mahoney

Kartik Viswanadha

Anup Jadhav

Katie McFadden

Ashima Saigal

Kelly Bentubo

Beth Breisnes

Kerry McClauss (McDonough)

Bill Greenhaw

Kevin O’Hara

Blakely Graham

Kylee Durant

Brad Struss

Kyla Longe

Brent Downey

Lars Nielsen

Bryan Boroughf

Launa Saunders

Calvin Smith

Lori Witzel

Carolina Ruiz Medina

Luke Cushanick

Cheryl Feldman

Maria Belli

Chris Zullo

Mark Ross

Christine Pechter

Martijn Schwarzer

Clara Perez

Matthew Morris

Dale Ziegler

Mayank Srivastava

Dan Appleman

Michael Slawnik

Daniel Ballinger

Nana Gregg

Daniel Peter

Nicholas Zinser

David Cheng

Nik Panter

David Giller

Patrick Connelly

Deepa Patel

Paul Battisson

Don Robins

Peter Churchill

Douglas Ayers

Peter Knolle

Edward Schlicksup

Phil Weinmeister

Elena Inurrategui

Rachel Rogers

Elizabeth Davidson

Rakesh Kumar

Eric Dreshfield

Rebecca Lammers

Eric Wu

Ryan Headley

Gaurav Kheterpal

Ryan Ozimek

Geoff Flynn

Sharif Shaalan

Geraldine Gray

Sharon Klardie

Gorav Seth

Shinichi Tomita

Jackie Travieso

Shivanath Devinarayanan

James Loghry

Shonnah Hughes

Jarrod Kingston

Simon Lawrence

Jason Atwood

Susan Thayer

Jean-Luc Antoine

Taiki Yoshikawa

Jean-Michel Mougeolle

Takahiro Yonei

Jeff May

Thomas Taylor

Jen Nelson

Vamsi Krishna

Jennifer Lee

Vinay Chaturvedi

New Inductees to the MVP Hall of Fame

The Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame is an emeritus status that recognizes the exceptional individuals that have been awarded Salesforce MVP 5+ times. These MVPs receive this honorary title for life, and can be renominated back into the program in future rounds based on their community activity and contributions at that time.

Texas Appleseed partnered with Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS) and conducted more than 100 interviews with youth who had experienced or are experiencing homelessness in Texas. Both groups also pulled data from state agencies related to youth.

Clair Cole, 19, became homeless when she was 16. “I had a lot of struggles connecting with family especially in that time of my life,” she said. “I was going through a lot. They were going through a lot.”

Cole relied on couch surfing to find places to stay. But as time passed, it became harder. “[I was] feeling like I was a burden, a lot of just trying to sink into the background and just be there without being there,” she said.

She’s now 19, received her GED and has her own small business making jewelry. She also serves as a Lifeworks Youth Ambassador in Austin, raising awareness about what services are available under their provider program.

“I would never want anyone to experience the feeling of not feeling welcome in your own home,” she said.

Lifeworks says each evening it shelters or houses more than 140 youth. There’s also a counseling division for individuals and families who deal with abuse, trauma, anxiety or other stressors.

“If I had known there was an emergency shelter, I would’ve gone straight there,” she said.

The report by Texas Appleseed and TNOYS says each year, at least 1,000 students who have dealt with homelessness repeat a grade and 1,400 drop out. It also says youth in foster care are in high risk of becoming homeless. In 2016, a total of 1,250 youth aged out of foster care on their 18th birthday. In that same year, more than 1,000 children in Texas ran away from a foster care placement.

Gabriella McDonald, the pro bono and new projects director for Texas Appleseed, said schools are on the front lines of this issue, but too often, it’s hard to track.

“Sometimes, schools don’t find out they have youth who [are] experiencing homelessness until they have someone who is about to graduate and it’s time to pay for their cap and gown,” McDonald said.

Both organizations have recommended that Texas form a statewide task force led by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and the Department of Housing and Community Affairs. They also want lawmakers to form a dedicated funding source to support prevention and intervention services for at-risk and homeless youth.

“There’s state funding for youth, there’s state funding for homelessness, but there’s not state funding for youth who are homeless,” McDonald said.

The black-and-white portraits of these street youth — (left to right) “Blue,” “Lauren” and “Otter Pig” — were photographed in Austin between 2014 and 2016 by Michael Joseph, who since 2011 has photographed train riders and hitchhikers he calls “a loosely knit tribe of travelers” living transient lifestyles nationwide.

A series of Joseph’s black-and-white portraits of these travelers — titled “Lost and Found” — is now on view at Daniel Cooney Fine Art in New York City. Street Youth Ministry has served some of these individuals specifically — and lots of them generally. We invite you to learn more about Joseph’s work, using the link below.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: in mid-year 2016, we began to urge our donors, volunteers and other partners to share their experiences and give SYM a rating using the Greatnonprofits.org website. To date, there have been 27 entries, among them a gratifying testimony shared by volunteer Rodolfo Aguilar (at right in the photo, with SYM client Jose) and excerpted below. Thank you, Rodolfo!]

Volunteering for Street Youth Ministry of Austin has been a life-changing experience. The way this ministry deals with clients is inspiring, humbling, and motivating. Attending to these clients in a personal level have enriched and fulfilled my life in ways I didn’t expect. I realize I can do more for them, and always find myself looking forward to the next time to be of service.

Witnessing the passion Mr. Terri places in every single relationship he builds with his clients, with genuine dignifying care and respect, and incredible patience, I’ve humbled myself and widened my scope in matters of life in which most people would choose to look the other way. The welcoming ambiance has a strong feeling of family and camaraderie.

Clients spontaneously find a much needed peaceful and safe place that has been set up strategically to reach them at the stage of personal, emotional, and spiritual development they are and scaffold them to higher levels of personal growth without being pushed or coerced.

They start wanting to learn more, seeking and finding that spiritual connection that anchors their sense of being, the realization that their lives are worthy and that they can find ways to achieve their dreams. Possibilities can be in their hands.

There
are three bills pending for the 2017 Regular Legislative Session in Texas that
relate to Identification for clients of street youth. None seem terribly
objectionable but without support from the public it’s not clear they will be
reported out of committee and move forward.

Identification
has become quite difficult to obtain ever since 9/11 — for good reasons.
However, as a homeless person, it has become increasingly difficult to get
Texas Identification cards from DPS. Our clients often face a very frustrating
period of 3 or 4 months in order to get their ID, only to often turn around and
have it stolen or lost on the streets. They often face extremely frustrating
requirements such as needing ID to get their birth certificate and needing a
birth certificate to get ID. Or similarly, needing an ID to get proof of social
security ID and needing social security ID to get a photo ID. The only portion
of the process that seems easy is, ironically, proof of residency. We are able
to notarize for clients a statement testifying that they are homeless.

One
proposed legislations would make it simpler for every homeless person to obtain
ID. And two other proposed legislations would apply to youth in foster care and
homeless young people through age 21 (or possibly 24).

HB 3354 – Was referred to Homeland
Security and Public Safety Committee about a month ago – it has not gotten a
hearing yet, and if it doesn’t get a hearing in about a week it will be dead.

HB 3561 – Was voted out of committee
two days ago – there was a committee substitute, and this language is not on
the Internet yet, but should be next week.

SB2107 – Referred to Health and Human
Services Committee about a month ago, and has not gotten a hearing yet. The drop-dead
date for Senate bills is a little later than house bills.

Street
Youth Ministry strongly encourages citizens of Texas to support passage of
simpler DPS IDs for homeless and especially homeless youth. If we want our
homeless to get jobs, find housing, apply for benefits, they desperately need
IDs quickly. So much of the work in social justice focuses on attempting to
help homeless navigate the frustrating, changing, and challenging requirements
for DSP issued ID. And these IDs are prerequisite for so many programs and
opportunities that we all want our homeless to avail themselves of. It only
makes sense to take away this barrier for all homeless and especially younger
homeless. Many homeless reports giving up their plans to return to normalcy
after repeatedly experiencing frustrations and setups in obtaining IDs.

Please
contact your representative to let them know you would like these bills to come
out of committee and be approved this year!